Broncos appear set at edge rusher … with a Nik Bonitto contract extension potentially on their 2025 checklist

The Broncos couldn’t have asked for more from their four edge rushers in 2024.

Nik Bonitto became the first Denver pass rusher with double-digit sacks since 2018. Then Jonathon Cooper joined him, and the Broncos had their first pair of double-digit edges since that same season, when Von Miller and Bradley Chubb both hit the mark.

Jonah Elliss was solid in his rookie-season work. Dondrea Tillman was a revelation after arriving from the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League, and he ranked in the NFL’s top 20 in both pressure rate and hit rate among the 138 edge rushers with at least 90 pass-rush snaps, as compiled by Pro Football Focus.

So deep was the edge-rushing corps that Week 1 starter Baron Browning wasn’t necessary by midseason.

And despite some consternation about the trade in some media and fan circles, the truth was that Browning was staring down being a game-day scratch after returning from injury. The progress of other young players and the four-year contract extension to Jonathon Cooper meant that Browning wouldn’t be back with the Broncos for 2025.

As it turned out, he wasn’t missed. The Broncos picked up a draft pick. Browning went to Arizona, where he got playing time that likely wasn’t going to come his way for the balance of the season had he remained with the Broncos.

WHERE THE BRONCOS EDGE RUSHERS STAND

STARTERS:

• Nik Bonitto
• Jonathon Cooper

The bursts of promise in Bonitto’s first two years blossomed into a Pro Bowl selection for him — and the Broncos’ highest individual sack total for any player in six years.

“I feel like it was just building, just kind of going from rookie year, seeing how it was in the NFL, then having to build off of that, then off of that second year, then how can I even improve the next year?” Bonitto said in January. “So, I mean, it’s just every year just trying to figure out ways to get better and continue to grow off of what you did before.”

Much of that improvement came against the run. In his rookie season, teams knew they could run at him when he took the field — and they did. Some improvement came in 2023, and a bit more followed in 2024 — enough to where the Broncos could trust him with every-down work, and not just as a situational contributor.

Bonitto added some weight to become stouter at the point of attack against the run.

“We saw a young, talented player and we made some changes. And I think that he’s really worked on his run-game defense, and that’s a position that requires just a lot of energy,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said in December.

Added rookie edge rusher Jonah Elliss in December: “He (Bonitto) can sense where the ball is, wherever the ball is. He knows exactly where to be at the right time. And that’s something that you learn through experience, but it’s also just natural for some guys. And you can tell that Nik, he has a lot of experience, but he can just key it wherever it is.”

And then there’s Cooper, whose four-year rise from seventh-round pick culminated with his first double-digit sack season and a four-year contract extension given to him in November — the type of deal that is legitimately life-changing.

Always effective against the run — he ranked 23rd among 125 edge rushers (minimum 90 run-defense snaps) in run-stop rate, per Pro Football Focus — he’s become a steady pass rusher, too, with the ability to capitalize on attention given to Bonitto and his superlative bend on the edge and defensive end Zach Allen and his length and power inside.

Cooper won’t win the raw-attribute test compared to many other NFL edge rushers, but he is one of the NFL’s savviest and most physical outside linebackers.

“He’s tough, he’s competitive,” Payton said during the season. “I think he’s a real good teammate. We have a lot of these guys that are. And you know exactly the physicality you’re getting with the player.”

 

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And when the contract extension came, Cooper’s teammates understood just how much he earned it.

“You talk about a guy that comes in every day and works hard and does the right things every day and play as hard as he does, he definitely deserved it,” Bonitto said.

Together, Cooper and Bonitto are an ideal duo, a pair whose skill sets mesh well. The result is the Broncos’ best edge-rush duo since at least 2018 — and maybe since Super Bowl 50.

RESERVES:

• Jonah Elliss
• Dondrea Tillman

Elliss showed some promise prior to suffering a fractured scapula in the playoff loss at Buffalo. He fared better against the run than in the pass rush, ranked nearly dead center in run-stop rate — with one every 17.75 run-defense snaps, tied for 62nd among 125 edge rushers with at least 90 run-defense snaps. That placed him in a tie Las Vegas’ Maxx Crosby.

But Elliss needs more seasoning — especially in the pass rush. In that area, Elliss ranked 103rd among 138 edge rushers (minimum 90 pass-rush snaps) in pressure rate, with one pressure every 13.4 pass-rush snaps, per the data compiled by Pro Football Focus.

In that same statistic, Cooper ranked 42nd and Bonitto 26th. But higher than both was Tillman, who was 20th in pressure rate and 11th in QB hit rate, reaching the opposing quarterback one every 9.6 pass-rush snaps. He parlayed a 2-sack game against Tampa Bay in Week 3 into a steady rotational role the rest of the way. Tillman ranked even higher against the run — fourth among the 125 edge rushers with at least 90 run-defense snaps in run-stop rate.

Practice-squad member Andrew Farmer signed a reserve-future contract last month.

EXPIRING CONTRACTS:

• None

Once the Broncos and Cooper agreed on his contract extension, the Broncos had matters settled for 2024. Now the next step is securing a long-term extension with Bonitto.

That will likely come with a hefty price tag that pushes his contract to near — or beyond that of cornerback Pat Surtain II, as 12 edge rushers around the league already have contracts with of at least $20 million in average per-year value.

Having a cost-controlled quarterback for at least the next three seasons — and possibly another if Bo Nix plays 2028 on a fifth-year option — certainly makes it palatable for the Broncos to get a deal complete with Bonitto this year when he becomes eligible for an extension.

But it makes little sense for the Broncos to do it before or during OTAs, as he can do nothing to increase his value on the practice field — while leaving nothing but risk for the Broncos were he to become injured. The window truly starts as training camp nears, which is when the team inked guard Quinn Meinerz to his extension last July.

OH, YEAH, WHAT IF THE BILLS CUT VON MILLER

It’s not that a team couldn’t use Miller — even as he is heading into his 15th NFL season. With one pressure every 6.23 pass-rush snaps, Miller ranked ninth among the 138 edge rushers with at least 90 pass-rush snaps last season, per Pro Football Focus data.

But with the Broncos, it’s a question of distribution of snaps. They carried four edge rushers last year. There is likely only room for four edge rushers in uniform per game. So, it’s not so much about what Miller would bring — but what he would take away, as in snaps for Elliss and Tillman, two players with three more years of team control apiece before reaching the open market.

As noted earlier, Tillman is already becoming one of the most efficient young edges in the game, using his length well. Elliss doesn’t have Tillman’s efficiency numbers, but he has starting experience under his belt and should continue his growth accordingly. Given how Bonitto and Cooper progressed from year to year to become the duo they were in 2024, one would think the Broncos are inclined to be patient.

Sign Miller, and you have an insurance policy in case one of the quartet is injured. But if Bonitto, Cooper, Elliss and Tillman remain healthy, there may not be much work for him; most games, he would likely be donning sweats as an inactive player. And it’s doubtful Miller would truly want that when other teams could offer him a rotational spot immediately.

The Broncos have a young foursome as exciting as it is bruising for opposing passers. There’s no practical reason to take away snaps from any member of the group.